The invention relates generally to welding applications and, more particularly, to a welding device for remotely controlling welding power supply settings.
Welding is a process that has increasingly become utilized in various industries and applications. Such processes may be automated in certain contexts, although a large number of applications continue to exist for manual welding operations. In both cases, such welding operations rely on a variety of types of equipment to ensure the supply of welding consumables (e.g., wire feed, shielding gas, etc.) is provided to the weld in appropriate amounts at the desired time. Certain welding operations may be performed in locations that are remote from a welding power supply. Accordingly, accessing the welding power supply from the location of the welding operation may not be possible. Furthermore, time and resources may be wasted in moving between the location of the welding operation and the location of the welding power supply.
A variety of remote controls and pendants have been developed that allow for a certain degree of control of weld parameters from remote locations without requiring the operator (or an assistant) to return to the welding power supply. However, these have typically been either wired via a control cable (thus requiring a further long run of cabling, increasing cost, weight, and potential for loss of signals), or wireless (with all of the benefits and limitations of wireless communication in difficult work environments). There is a need, therefore, for improved techniques allowing for weld parameter adjustment from remote welding locations.